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Local Navy SEAL furious, in disbelief after Taliban takeover

Steve Brown cover.JPG
Posted at 5:23 PM, Aug 16, 2021
and last updated 2021-08-16 18:32:17-04

Retired Navy SEAL team 6 sniper Steve Brown spends most of his time working at Camp Brown Bear, where he holds retreats for veterans with trauma, these days.

Steve Brown.jpg

It's been more than a decade since he served in Afghanistan, but the Taliban takeover this weekend brought him back to that time.

"I'm struggling to be honest," he said.

Brown said the war has caused so much loss and that it's all for nothing now.

"All my brothers that gave the ultimate sacrifice there, it was just really hard to see everything gone so fast," he said. "That was the toughest thing for me."

He also fears for the Afghani interpreters and others who helped the US troops because they're in serious danger now.

"Once the Taliban finds out who was doing what, heads are going to roll," he said. "Literally."

For him, it has been a lot to handle.

"I never in a million years thought I'd have the types of feelings that I had come up that I had this weekend," he said. "I never thought that I left that much of myself in that country."

He's thankful for his support system for getting him through it all.

"My wife has been a rock so she helps me out," he said. "[I] come out here and work every day. It keeps my mind off things."

For those who don't have support, he asks for help on their behalf.

"Check in on them," he said. "See how they're doing."

If you or anyone you know served in Afghanistan and is struggling, call the VA crisis hotline at 800-273-8255 and press 1.